


Misunderstandings

by Cielestine_de_Winter



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: BAMF Robin, DadBats!, Dick Grayson is Robin, Dick ships Batman/Superman, Fluff and Crack, Headcanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-29 12:51:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8490559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cielestine_de_Winter/pseuds/Cielestine_de_Winter
Summary: A run in with Killer Croc causes a major misunderstanding between Robin and his team.  Clark gets to know Dick a little better.  And Bruce is just trying to cope.
Crazy head cannons and self indulgent wankery abound.





	1. The Fight

Aqualad was very sure that his King never had to deal with two teenagers who were acting like spoiled three year olds during what was supposed to be a covert mission. Seriously, if they didn’t shut up soon…  


“Don’t tell me how to do it!” Artemis hissed. “I’m fine!”  


Ms. Martian had stopped relaying Artemis’s and Kid Flash’s bickering five minutes into the mission, obviously hoping that Batman’s warning that they would have to be quiet would have sunk in.  


It didn’t.  


“You’re doing it wrong!” Kid Flash hissed back. “You turn it the other way!”  


Superboy looked one step away from murdering them. Ms. Martian frequently put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Aqualad had sent Robin to scout ahead. Definitely a tactical mistake. Robin was the only one who could quiet both Kid Flash and Artemis without dire threats.  


“Fine, if you want to do it…” Artemis threw her hands up and moved out from in front of the door they had been trying to open. Aqualad was a minute away from letting Connor just rip the door off the hinges; it probably would have been quieter than those two arguing.  


The door suddenly opened. Artemis, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy tensed, ready to attack whoever was behind the door.  


_What are you guys still doing here?_ Robin thought as he stepped noiselessly through the door. _I’ve downloaded the files, we need to get out of here before someone finds us!_  


“We would have, if she…” Kid Flash started.  


Robin held up his hand and looked at the computer screen on his gauntlet. _I’m picking up some strange readings,_ he thought. _Temp’s too low to be human._  


_Is it coming this way?_ Aqualad thought.  


_No,_ Robin answered. _But I don’t like how it’s moving._  


_Let’s get out of here,_ Aqualad said turning around. _Superboy?_  


Superboy led them through the dark halls, his vision allowing him to see in the dark. They quickly retraced their steps and were only a few hallways from escaping without incident when Kid Flash accidentally walked into Artemis. “You idiot!” She shouted angrily.  


_Artemis!_ Ms. Martian exclaimed but Kid Flash shouted over her.  


“I’m not an idiot! Stop being so…”  


_Look out!_ Robin’s voice called as he leapt over and pushed them away. Just as Kid Flash looked up from where he landed on Artemis, he saw Robin’s body slammed against the wall by a huge reptilian tail.  


“Killer Croc!” Kid Flash gasped.  


Killer Croc chuckled, a wet, terrible sound. “Dinner.” He hissed as he grabbed Artemis.  


“Let her go!” Kid Flash growled, speeding up and kicking Killer Croc in the shoulder with his super sonic speed.  


Artemis fell to the ground and rolled away. She came up and shot Killer Croc with a series of metal tipped arrows. “I don’t need your help!” She spat at Kid Flash.  


Killer Croc tore the arrows out of his flesh and broke them with one hand before rushing Artemis. Kid Flash scooped her up in his arms. He started running to the others as Aqualad hit Killer Croc with his whips. Killer Croc growled in anger and snapped at him.  


Artemis took that moment to shove her way out of Kid Flash’s arms, causing him to stumble. Killer Croc snorted and cornered them.  


Suddenly there was a cackle and Robin leapt on Killer Croc’s shoulder and embedded four batarangs on his back in quick succession. He jumped off Killer Croc’s shoulder with another cackle. As he landed, the four Batarangs exploded. _Get out of there!_ Robin thought to Artemis and Kid Flash, as Killer Croc wailed in fury.  


Artemis and Kid Flash rolled away from Killer Croc, but ran a foul of his tail. It slammed down on top of them, pinning them to the floor. Killer Croc turned to bite them, but Robin jumped between them, tossing two small Batarangs into his oversized, reptilian mouth.  


Superboy and Ms. Martian freed Artemis and Kid Flash as Robin jumped away. Aqualad cracked his whips and pulled Killer Croc away from the others. Artemis shot him with more arrows and Kid Flash ran up to kick him, but Killer Croc jumped to the side and crashed into Ms. Martian. He went to claw her, but Superboy twisted his arm away. Killer Croc then turned to Artemis. Kid Flash pushed her out of the way, allowing her to shoot Killer Croc with more arrows. Killer Croc roared in rage and went after Kid Flash and Artemis. Kid Flash stepped in front of Artemis and a millisecond before Killer Croc’s jaw closed on him, Kid Flash and Artemis were shoved out of the way by Robin.  


Faster than what should have been possible, Killer Croc turned his head, snapping his jaws and Robin detonated the batarangs that he had earlier thrown in his mouth. Killer Croc froze for a minute before falling face down. Robin quickly secured him with his grappling wire.  


_Get to the ship!_ Aqualad ordered. Thankfully the team followed his orders wordlessly.  


The quiet lasted until the bioship was airborne.  


“I don’t need you clinging to me during a fight,” Artemis snapped at Kid Flash.  


“I am not clinging to you!” Kid Flash shouted. “I was just trying to keep you from becoming ground meat!”  


“I can handle myself in a fight!” Artemis roared. “I’m not some dainty flower you need…”  


“I never said you couldn’t handle yourself in a…”  


“I can’t believe how much of a sexist pig you…”  


“I was trying to be a good team mate! Team mates look out…”  


“Shut up!” Superboy shouted finally. Artemis and Wally turned on him.  


“Oh, so you don’t think I can take care of myself…”  


“You’re on her side?! Dude, that’s the worst…”  


“No talking!” Aqualad interrupted them. “I don’t want to hear either of you talking for the rest of the trip.” When Artemis opened her mouth Aqualad’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t even think about it.”  


Uncomfortable silence descended in the ship. Ms. Martian shot worried glances at Artemis and Kid Flash. Superboy glared out the window. Aqualad closed his eyes for a few moments, his head throbbing. Robin sat without moving in his seat.  


When Ms. Martian landed in Mount Justice, Artemis and Kid Flash jumped up and vied to be the first out of the bioship. Superboy pushed them aside and stomped past them. Ms. Martian floated next to him and Aqualad slowly followed them, not wanting any part of the wreck the debrief would more than likely be.  


It was no surprise that Batman was glowering by the door of the landing bay. “What happened,” he growled.  


Kaldur’ahm opened his mouth to start his report, but Artemis spoke first. “We got the data and ran into Killer Croc. But we took care of him. Can we go? I don’t want to be anywhere near that jerk any more!” She said glaring at Wally.  


“Your instructions were not to engage,” Batman’s voice was quiet.  


“We handled it!” Artemis yelled. “We did…”  


“Robin?” Batman’s attention was suddenly caught by his protégé who was walking slowly from the bioship. His cape was wrapped around him and he was slightly hunched over. His face was deathly pale.  


“Hey, B,” he said in a weak voice. Batman walked through the others to stand before him. “We’ve uploaded the data…” His voice died out and he suddenly fell to his knees.  


Batman caught him and pulled his cape back revealing a bleeding gash in his side.. Batman scooped the young boy up and swiftly carried him to the small infirmary.  


Wally ran to follow Batman as the others looked at each other in surprise.  


“Oh!” M’gann gasped pointing to the trail of bloody footprints from the bioship.  


“When did he get hurt?” Artemis asked in a subdued voice, guilt eating away at her anger. She went through the battle in her mind and could think of a number of close calls, mostly when Robin had been saving her and Wally.  


“Look,” Conner ground out angrily. “I get that you and Wally like each other but are too immature to handle it. But if you ever get Robin hurt again because of your stupidity, I will destroy you. You got that?”  


Artemis tore her eyes away from the blood on the floor. “I don’t like…” she started. At Conner’s glare, her words faded out. She looked from Conner’s angry face to M’Gann and Kaldur’ahm then fled.  
  
  


The infirmary was empty. Conner, Kaldur’ahm, and M’Gann found Wally and Artemis staring at the Zeta Tubes. “The bite was too bad,” Wally said in a fragile voice. “Batman took him away. Why didn’t he tell us he was hurt? Why…”  


M’gann stepped closer to Wally to comfort him, but Wally pulled back. “I… I have to go.”  


He quickly activated the tube and Zeta’ed out of Mount Justice.  


Artemis looked at them, her eyes wide. “Is it going to be okay? Robin’s going to be fine, right? Kaldur’ahm, he’s going to be fine, right?” She demanded.  


Kaldur’ahm just looked away.  
  
  


Five days. Five long and painful days without a word from Robin. Wally and Robin usually texted each other several times a day, and absence of those texts were like a gaping wound in Wally’s chest.  


Batman had returned to debrief the team the day after the disaster. He listened without comment as Kaldur’ahm made his report. When Conner asked him about Robin, Batman just stalked off without responding.  


Wally stopped going to Mount Justice after that.  
  


Alfred finished placing Bruce’s dinner on the silver tray and made his way to the Batcave. He placed the tray on the side board and poured Bruce a cup of coffee. Bruce was reviewing old mission reports, but Alfred wasn’t fooled. Bruce’s attention was focused on the monitor to his left showing a feed of Dick sleeping in his room.  


Killer Croc’s mouth had been a diseased cesspool and his bite had quickly become infected. Dick’s body, already compromised with a staggering amount of blood loss was further hampered with four shattered ribs.  


“You might find your vigil more comfortable it you did it in his room,” Alfred said lightly.  


“I need to review these files.”  


“And you couldn’t do that on your tablet?”  


Bruce stubbornly stared at the file pulled up in front of him. “He doesn’t need me watching him sleep.”  


“True, but it may bring him some comfort if you are there when he wakes up.”  


Bruce’s fingers paused over his keyboard. “He didn’t tell his team he was hurt.”  


“He seldom tells you when he’s hurt.”  


Bruce looked up at Alfred. “He needs to stop doing that.”  


“Perhaps if you stopped treating every injury or illness either of you has as a personal failure, he might be more open with you.”  


“I don’t…” Bruce’s voice faded out at Alfred’s raised eyebrow.  


“He learns how to handle situations by watching you, Master Bruce. You may want to keep that in mind,” Alfred said handing Bruce his coffee. “Is there anything else you require?”  


“No, thank you Alfred.” Bruce said watching the old man turn and walk up the stairs to the main house.  


Bruce sipped on his coffee and stared at Dick sleeping for a long time before he left to prepare for his patrol.  
  
  


“Why are you out of bed?” Batman demanded when he caught sight of Dick sitting at the main console typing away. Thankfully the boy was at least wearing his dark blue robe over his pajamas. Bruce had caught him shivering the the damp cave before.  


“I’m just finishing up my mission report,” Dick said without looking up. “I didn’t write one before. It’s best to get it out while it’s still relatively fresh.”  


Batman pushed off his cowl and read over Dick’s shoulder. Dick’s writing was factual and descriptive, but there was always a hint of Dick’s humor carefully understated throughout the reports. Dick quickly finished the report then saved it.  


Bruce frowned. He knew Dick’s writing well enough to recognize that something was off. “What’s bothering you?”  


“Wally hasn’t been to Mount Justice since the debrief. M’Gann hasn’t baked anything. Kaldur’ahm’s requested leave to go home. Artemis got into two fights at school. And Conner hasn’t said more than 5 words to anyone. The mission wasn’t that difficult. I don’t know why they’re moping about.” Dick said gingerly sitting back in the chair. He turned and looked at Bruce. “What am I missing?”  


Bruce looked at Dick’s unnaturally pale face without expression. As intuitive as Dick was about people, he too easily discounted his own importance. “I think they are worried about you.”  


Dick snorted and turned back to the console. “I’m fine.” He tried to shrug but ended up wincing in pain. “I’ll talk to Wally after school tomorrow. Maybe we can…”  


“You’re not going to school tomorrow.” Bruce said flatly. “Or for the rest of the week. You need to…” _Stay here. I’ll get you tutors again. You don’t need to work so hard. They don’t deserve you._   


“I need to graduate high school eventually,” Dick said rolling his eyes. “I know school wasn’t important to you, B, but I have to keep at it as part of my cover. I’m trying to be a normal kid, remember?”  


“You are a 12 year old sophomore in high school who has tested out of most of his classes.”  


“Normal-ish.”  


Bruce snorted. “Normal-ish?”  


“You are hardly the gold standard on what is normal, B. Why were you looking at old Killer Croc reports?”  


_I was working out a strategy that would allow me to pull every one of his damn teeth out of his mouth in the most painful way possible so you never get hurt by them again._ “It was odd that you encountered him. I was looking to see if he had any past interactions with the group you infiltrated.”  


“I should have realized those where his readings I was picking up,” Dick frowned.  


“It was your first time up against him,” Bruce disagreed.  


“But we had his data. I should have memorized it.”  


“We will look into that later,” Bruce said briskly. “For now, you need to get back into bed.”  


Dick looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment, then he painfully stood up. “You’re right. Good night, Bruce.” He started toward the stairs.  


Bruce could see the defeat in Dick’s shoulders. He wondered uneasily if there was a better way he could have handled their conversation. He almost said something, but he didn’t have the words. He just watched as Dick climbed the cold black stairs to the Manor.  
  
  


Wally was almost vibrating with anticipation. He had received a text from Rob, _finally!_ Rob asked to meet him back at Mount Justice. Wally skipped his last class and almost broke the sound barrier getting to the Zeta Tube.  


Rob was leaning against the wall opposite the Zeta tubes when he arrived. “Rob!” Wally shouted, speeding over and hugged him tightly.  


He let go when Rob winced in pain. “Are you okay? How are you feeling?” Wally looked carefully at his friend.  


Robin was wearing his normal casual outfit- black jeans, green hoodie, black jacket, and sunglasses, but his face was much too pale with the exception of his cheeks which were pink with fever. Wally raised his hand to touch Rob’s forehead, just to check his temperature, but Rob stepped away.  


“I’m fine, Wally,” he motioned for Wally to follow him. “What’s with you not coming here the last few days?” He asked leading Wally to his room.  


Wally eagerly followed him. “Rob, it’s been terrible without you! Artemis is driving me crazy! I don’t understand why she’s…”  
  


An hour later, Connor and M’Gann arrived at Mount Justice together. M’Gann was cheerfully chatting about her day to Conner who wasn’t really listening. M’Gann knew Conner was unhappy but didn’t know how to help him. On TV it was so simple. Megan from Hello! Megan always was cheerful and sweet and eventually her boyfriend would start smiling again. M’Gann worried that she wasn’t cheerful enough so she tried harder.  


As soon as they emerged from the Zeta tube, Conner’s head snapped up. He looked around as though he heard something and then rushed away in the direction of the bedrooms. M’Gann floundered a little before following him.  


Conner opened Robin’s bedroom door. “You’re back.” He stated. Wally and Robin were sitting on Robin’s bed talking.  


M’Gann’s heart sped up. She had missed Robin a lot.  


“Come on in!” Robin called. “Is M’Gann with you?”  


Conner stepped into the room and M’Gann rushed in after him. “Robin!” She cried, jumping on his bed and hugging him. Robin stiffened in her arms but smiled brightly when she looked up at him.  


“It’s good to see you guys too!” Robin cackled.  
  


Kaldur’ahm waited next to the Zeta tube entrance in Gotham for Artemis. She was serving a detention for fighting. Again. As the team leader he felt obligated to try to talk to her, but what he really wanted to do was suspend both her and Wally until they both grew up a little. He seriously didn’t have the patience for their little dramas.  


“Hey,” Artemis said walking up to him. “Mission?”  


Kaldur’ahm shook his head. “No. I just wanted to talk to you. I heard you got in trouble for fighting again.”  


Artemis snorted. “It was barely a fight.”  


“You can’t keep getting in fights, Artemis. You have to be…”  


“Look, I’m not a meta like the rest of you guys, okay? So it’s not like anyone going to suspect me of being anything more than a kid with an attitude problem,” Artemis snapped.  


“Robin’s not a meta,” Kaldur’ahm pointed out.  


Artemis’s mouth shut. Robin understood how hard it was to be a normal kid when everyone else was a meta. They would talk about it sometimes. He would also listen when she would complain about Wally. As his best friend, Robin was able to explain Wally’s occasionally patronizing behavior to her better than the speedster himself. Artemis looked away. The guilt she felt about how she behaved during their last mission still ate at her.  


Kaldur’ahm frowned as he watched her close herself off. Bringing up Robin was obviously a mistake. He tried to think of something he could say that would make her less defensive. When nothing came to mind he stepped toward the Zeta Tube. “Let’s go.” Maybe there was a mission that would get their mind off their troubles.  
  


The first thing Kaldur’ahm and Artemis heard when emerging from the Zeta tube was laughter. They both stilled for a second and exchanged a glance. Suddenly a familiar cackle was heard. Artemis raced to Robin’s room.  


Robin was sitting on his bed between M’Gann and Wally. Conner was leaning against the wall, a smile transforming is normally sullen face.  


“Move out of the way, Baywatch,” Artemis said jumping on Robin’s bed and crawling between him and Wally. Wally grinned and moved over. Robin’s smile flickered for a second as she accidentally elbowed him in the ribs. Kaldur’ahm sat down on Robin’s desk chair. “So Bats finally let you out of the cave,” Artemis smirked.  


“He’s tied up with other things right now,” Robin answered easily. “I thought I would duck out and see how you all were. Miss me?”  


“Maybe a little, Birdbrain,” Artemis laughed. “But certainly not as much as your little sidekick,” she nudged Wally.  


“I am no one’s sidekick,” Wally argued. “Rob and I are partners.”  


Kaldur’ahm snorted. “I fear the trouble you both would get into if you didn’t have us here watching your back! I seem to remember…” Kaldur’ahm launched into a story about one of the many times he and Roy had saved Wally and occasionally Robin.  


In retaliation, Wally told a story about how Kaldur’ahm once was hit on by a beautiful but very drunken reporter.  


Kaldur’ahm flushed, and explained the entire story to the others and they howled in laughter as Wally and Robin added their own comments. Which lead to Artemis reminiscing about the time Conner had saved a bunch of girls during a dance only to have them hang all over him until M’Gann transformed into a monster and scared them off.  


M’Gann flushed and looked at Conner with a shy smile. Conner returned her smile. Wally rolled his eyes. “Before they start staring into each other’s eyes and getting all gooey, is there anything to eat?”  


“Check the bottom drawer in my desk,” Robin offered.  


Kaldur’ahm opened the drawer and whistled. “Wow, why do you have so much food?” He asked pulling out a handful of powerbars (the good kind, Wally announced grabbing for them), dried apple crisps (which Artemis loved), veggie chips (that Conner quickly snagged), a few muffins (M’Gann couldn’t pick between the orange cranberry and the chocolate chip so she took both), and a big bag of pita chips (which Kaldur’ahm was absolutely not addicted to). Kaldur’ahm reached down and grabbed a large assortment of other vaguely healthy and absolutely not even close to healthy snacks.  


“I have some drinks in my closet,” Robin went to sit up but froze for a second, pain stealing the color from his face.  


M’Gann and Artemis pulled him back down. “Don’t get up,” Conner said quickly. He crossed the room and opened Robin’s closet. Hanging with military precision were a few spare uniforms. There was a small worn backpack in a corner next to a neat stack of water bottles and other assorted drinks. Conner didn’t really pay attention to details, but he easily recognized everyone’s favorite drinks.  


“Jeez, Robin what are you stockpiling for? A zombie apocalypse?” Wally laughed.  


“You can never be too prepared,” Robin said accepting a water from Conner. “At least you can see the floor of my closet! Your room is a terrifying death trap.”  


“Do you remember that time…” M’Gann smiled as she started another Wally story.  


The team talked for hours, eating their way through Robin’s drawer and putting a dent in his secret stash of drinks. Every once in a while Artemis would stare at him thoughtfully. Robin’s face continued to become more and more pale, but his cheeks burned scarlet. He kept his hands hidden underneath him as he joked and laughed with the others. Finally he stilled and cocked his head. The others stopped and watched him.  


“I’m here, B. I’m at Mount Justice with the team,” he said softly into his communicator. His smile dimmed slightly as he listened to Batman. “No, I’m fine. Of course. 30 minutes. Robin out.” Robin took a breath and looked around at the faces of his friends. “Hey, guys, I have to get going. I have patrolling tonight.”  


“You’re going out?” Artemis exclaimed. Everyone had been so careful not to bring it up, but it was obvious that Robin wasn’t anywhere near 100%. “It must suck having Batman as your dad.”  


Robin laughed. “Batman’s not my dad.”  


“He’s not?” M’Gann exclaimed. “I thought…”  


“Wait, if Batman’s not your dad, what did you tell your parents when he brought you back all banged up and bloody?” Artemis asked intently.  


“I wasn’t that banged up and I cleaned up the blood,” Robin snorted. “I’m fine.” He smiled brightly at them as he gingerly scooted off the bed.  


“Hey, you know we could probably patrol for you,” Kaldur’ahm offered casually as he and the others threw out the trash and straightened his room. “If you wanted to rest.”  


“Na,” Robin said shaking his head. “I’m good. I’ll see you guys later!” He said turning toward the door.  


“Hey, wait up, Rob!” Wally said quickly standing up. “I’ll walk you to the tubes.”  


“Afraid that I’m going to get lost?” Robin laughed as he walked out of the room.  


“Something like that,” Wally said. They walked in silence for a few seconds then Wally took a breath. “I’m glad to see you.”  


“I’ve missed you guys,” Robin said simply. They stopped in front of the Zeta Tube.  


Wally reached out and took hold of Robin’s right hand. He twisted it palm up and waited until Robin opened his palm.  


Robin’s palm was bloody where he had fisted his hands, his trimmed nails had cut deeply into his skin. Wally stared at his hand for a moment then took hold of his left hand. The left hand was just as bloody.  


Robin closed his fists.  


“Stay home tonight,” Wally said urgently. “You’re hurting and I know you have a fever. Bats will understand.”  


“I’m fine, Wally.” Robin said softly, pulling his hands away. “B probably will have me monitoring everything from the Cave anyways.”  


“You need your rest.”  


“I’m fine,” Robin repeated. “I’ll see you later.” Robin stepped away and Zeta’s out.  


“What was in his hands?” Conner asked.  


Wally jumped. He hadn’t realized he was followed. He glanced over and saw the concerned faces of his team mates. “Nothing,” Wally answered.  


“Hey, I don’t mean to be a downer, but do you get the feeling that Robin’s home life isn’t all that great?” Artemis said walking over to Wally.  


“Robin’s amazing at hand to hand combat,” Kaldur’ahm reminder her. “I doubt he would put up with someone abusing him.”  


“Not all abuse is physical,” Artemis argued. “Why do his parents let him out all hours of the night? Why don’t they care when he comes back hurt as badly as he was a few days ago? And that stuff in his room, tell me you guys haven’t noticed that he’s always stockpiling stuff. My sis…. I have a friend who used to do that. When things got really bad, she used to save all her food and hide it. It was like she didn’t trust that she’d ever get more.”  


“That’s ridiculous,” Wally said, his voice fainter than he would have liked. “We have plenty of food here. You know he’s a little crazy about always being prepared.”  


“Wally, have you really looked at him?” Artemis argued. “He’s tiny. Yea, he has great muscle tone and carries himself like a king, but he’s really thin. Have you ever seen a 16 year old that small before?”  


“He’s not that small!” Wally took a breath and turned to Kaldur’ahm for support.  


Kaldur’ahm was looking at the floor thoughtfully.  


“Where I come from...” M’Gann’s voice was soft. “Where I come from, it’s not uncommon for white martians to neglect the needs of smaller… less desirable children in favor of others.”  


“What happens to the smaller kids?” Artemis asked.  


M’Gann frowned. “Without proper support, then die.”  


“Stop!” Wally shouted. “Robin isn’t going to die. Batman’s his mentor. He wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him!”  


“What if Batman didn’t know,” Kaldur’ahm suggested. “Robin’s not exactly forthcoming about things he’d rather keep hidden.”  


“We should tell him,” Conner said decisively.  


“What would we say?” Wally demanded. “Hey, Bats, we think Robin is being neglected at home. Maybe you should step in? I’m sure he’d really be receptive to that.”  


“Why not?” Conner challenged. “Why not say that to him?”  


“Because…” Wally sputtered.  


“Batman cares about Robin very much,” M’Gann said quietly. “If Robin was in danger, he’d want us to tell him.”  


“Robin would kill us!”  


“Wally, you know how bad Robin is at asking for help. You saw him tonight. He was in serious pain and he didn’t say a word!” Artemis argued.  


Wally’s lips formed a tight white frown.  


“Robin is such a good friend to all of us,” M’Gann’s voice was sad. “What kind of friends would we be to him if we just ignored all of this?”  


“Kaldur’ahm, we’ve known Robin for years. Do you really think he’d stay in a situation that wasn’t good for him?” Wally almost begged.  


Kaldur’ahm frowned for a moment. “I’ve seen Robin fight off a dozen armed terrorists with a broken leg and a dislocated shoulder just to keep me safe when I was hurt. I’ve seen him defend you when any sane person would have run away. So yea, I think he would stay in a bad situation if he felt like he needed to.”  


“We need to talk to Batman,” Conner said flatly.  


“I’ll contact him tomorrow,” Kaldur’ahm promised. “Let’s all meet here at 5.”  
  
  


Robin had to close his eyes against his nausea as he stepped away from the Zeta tube. His head hurt so much that white spots pulsed in front of him. Robin forced himself to look around the empty cave.  


Batman said he was heading out when he had contacted him at Mount Justice. Alfred would have retired for the night. Robin walked over to where his uniforms hung neatly next to Batman’s. The pain in his ribs made moving an agony, so he quickly decided to just exchange his sunglasses for his mask. His hands shook as he folded up his sunglasses and took hold of his mask. He walked over to the sink and washed the blood off his hands before looking up at himself at the mirror.  


For a second Dick froze, taking in his unhealthy pallor and his bloodshot eyes. _What am I doing?_ He asked himself and grabbed the edge of the counter as his head throbbed. He took a breath and put on his mask before going to the comm. Just as he stepped to the chair, his vision dimmed and his pulse roared in his ears. He went to grab the desk, but only knew darkness as he fell forward.  
  



	2. Reinforcements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the insanity level of raising a young boy becomes too much to handle, Bruce calls in the big guns.

Dick heard typing to his left. He opened his eyes and recognized the ceiling of his bedroom. He started to sit up, but thought better of it when pain shot up his side.  


“Hi, Dick,” Clark Kent looked up from his laptop. “How are you feeling?” Clark was dressed in a nice black suit that was only a little rumpled. His blue eyes scanned Dick intently.  


“Clark!” Dick smiled. “What are you doing here?”  


“I’m waiting for Bruce. He’s been pulled away to a meeting at Mount Justice and I’m waiting for him to go to the gala.”  


“Oh my god!” Dick shot up. “The gala!” Dick went to move but swayed as his head swam. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. After a minute he opened his eyes and noticed the IV in his arm. “What is this?”  


“You’ve been asleep all day and Dr. Thompkins is worried that you’re not getting enough fluids. You hit your head yesterday and bled a lot before Bruce found you.”  


Dick grimaced. “How mad is he?” He started picking at the tape around the IV.  


“Stop picking at it,” Clark said closing his laptop.  


“I am not going to the gala with an IV.”  


“You’re right, you aren’t going to the gala.” Clark replied easily. At Dick’s surprised face Clark smiled. “He’s _really_ mad.”  


“Why are you so cheerful about this?” Dick demanded.  


“Because the last time you got sick, you promised to take care of yourself better. You obviously haven’t learned your lesson.”  


Dick groaned and closed his eyes while the room seemed to shift around him. “It was necessary.” He was quiet for a second before his eyes snapped open. “Wait, you said B was at Mount Justice for a meeting? A meeting, not a mission, right?”  


Clark looked at Dick appraisingly. “No mission. Even if there was a mission, there is no way he’d let you participate. In fact I think I heard him say something about you being grounded for life.”  


“Don’t be ridiculous,” Dick scoffed. He gingerly moved to get out of bed.  


“You aren’t getting out of bed,” Clark said firmly.  


Dick flashed a smile at him. “I’m just going to the Cave, Clark. I’m not even going to put on my uniform.”  


“No, you aren’t going to the Cave. Bruce told me not to let you out of bed.”  


“If they are having a team meeting, I should probably be there, even if its through the comm,” Dick said reasonably.  


“What part of not getting out of bed did you not understand?”  


Dick looked at the IV’s hanging from the rack next to his bed. Luckily it was the kind that they had at the free clinic. Dick figured that if he was careful he could wheel it down the stairs to the Cave. He turned to slip out from underneath the covers when the pain from his ribs stole his breath making his nausea return. He closed his eyes, trying to distance himself from the pain when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Clark who was pushing him back in bed.  


“Dick, you lost a lot of blood when you were attacked by Killer Croc. Last night, you lost a lot more. Dr. Thompkins had to give you a transfusion to stabilize you.” Clark eased him into bed and pulled the blankets up. He sat on the bed and sighed. “You and Bruce are going to be the death of me.”  


“I hope not,” Dick said when he got his breath back.  


“It’s okay to take care of yourself. You don’t always have to push yourself like this.”  


“Says the guy who never gets sick.”  


“I get sick.”  


“No, you get exposed to Kryptonite. There’s a difference.”  


“When I am, you know Bruce is the first person to be at my bedside forcing me to stay in bed until I’m 100%.” Clark took a breath. “Bruce was really upset when he found you last night.” At Dick’s questioning look Clark looked away. “His heartbeat raced so much that I thought he was having a heart attack.”  


“You were in Gotham last night?”  


“No,” Clark smiled. “I was at a journalist dinner in Metropolis.”  


“You can hear his heartbeat from Metropolis.”  


Clark flushed. “I told you that so you’d understand how upset he was.”  


“And you guys say you’re not dating.”  


“You know we’re not.”  


“I don’t understand why you’re not.”  


“Dick…”  


“I’m twelve and I think it’s ridiculous. Seriously. Stop dancing around each other and just kiss or something.”  


“You are impossible,” Clark informed him fondly.  
  
  


“…and I’ve talked to my mom and she said he can come and live with us. We don’t have much, but we’ll take care of him. Or at least make sure he gets meals on a regular basis.” Artemis was saying earnestly.  


“Or, he can stay with me,” Wally broke in. “My parents love him. I have enough space in my room for another bed. And we can transfer him to my school.”  


_How is this my life?_ Batman thought to himself. Kaldur’ahm had called him asking him to come to the Cave, where the team, minus Robin, were waiting for him.  


“Why do you think Robin is being neglected at home?” Batman asked calmly.  


“You seriously need to ask that?” Artemis rolled her eyes.  


“He came to the Cave yesterday with a fever,” Kaldur’ahm replied. “He was obviously not well. He shouldn’t have been out of bed.”  


“He stockpiles supplies like it’s the end of the world,” Artemis pointed out. “He rations his food like he’s never going to get more.”  


“It makes him nervous when anything is wasted,” M’Gann added. “A few weeks ago, he wouldn’t let us throw out those vegetables that had withered. He made that soup…”  


“Which was great,” Wally argued.  


“Yea, but you saw how much of a maniac he was about not throwing anything out,” Artemis reminded him.  


_Robin cooks?_ Batman open his mouth, but was interrupted by Conner.  


“His shoes.” At everyone’s blank looks Conner continued. “He has holes in the bottom of his shoes.”  


“His boots are fine!” Wally objected.  


“Not his uniform boots,” Conner shook his head. “The shoes he wears when he’s not in uniform. He’s been using duck tape to keep the water out of them. And the clothes he wears when he’s not in uniform. We’ve all seen how often he patches those clothes.”  


“That’s right!” M’Gann snapped her fingers. “I remember you trying to talk him into buying a new pair of shoes last time we went out for supplies.”  


“Why didn’t he?” Batman found himself asking, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his ward sews.  


“He said something about not using the team account for personal purchases,” Conner shrugged.  


“Which doesn’t make sense at all, because all we do is use it for stuff we want,” Artemis argued.  


“What team account?” Batman asked as he felt the first twinges of a headache coming on.  


“You know, the credit card you gave Robin to pay for supplies when Conner and M’Gann moved in,” Kaldur’ahm looked at him strangely.  


Batman knew exactly what credit card Kaldur’ahm was referring to. Only he hadn’t given it to Robin for the team. Bruce had given it to Dick to make sure he always had money in case he needed something. Batman made a mental note to get a list of purchases that were made with the card. “Thank you for bringing your concerns to me. I’ll talk to Robin.”  


“NO!” The team exclaimed together.  


Batman was tempted to rub his temples as his head started pounding in earnest.  


“Robin’s just going to say he’s fine. You need to talk to the horrible people who call themselves his parents.” Artemis insisted. “Better yet, you need to call social services and get him taken out of whatever hole they have him living in.”  


Batman could feel his stomach tighten at Artemis’s words. “I’ll take care of this situation.”  


“Let me know if he needs someplace to stay.” Wally offered.  


“He could stay here,” M’Gann pointed out. “That way we all could make sure he ate properly.”  


“I will let you know if it gets to that.” Batman said solemnly. “In the meantime, I’m taking Robin off the active roster.”  


“You can’t do that!” Conner snapped. “If he’s not safe with his parents…”  


“I will see to it that he is well cared for,” Batman said forcing himself not to grit his teeth. He didn’t think he was that bad a guardian. And Alfred will definitely have something to say about the accusations of Dick not getting healthy regular meals. “Thank you again for your concerns. It is good that Robin has you looking out for him.”  


“He’s… Robin,” M’Gann shrugged. “He’s always mothering us. Its time we take care of him.”  


“I’m sure he’ll appreciate your concern,” Batman swept the room. “I have to go. I will be in contact.”  


“Thank you,” Kaldur’ahm smiled at him, obviously relieved that Batman was going to take care of the situation.  


Batman glanced at them once more before turning and walking to the Zeta tube.  
  
  


Batman quickly changed out of his armor and walked up the steps to the main house. Alfred met him in the study. “Would you be using the Bentley or Tesla this evening, sir?” Alfred asked.  


“The Tesla, Clark hasn’t seen it yet,” Bruce glanced at Alfred. “Does Dick seem like he’s not getting enough to eat?” He asked as they walked through the grand hallway.  


“Master Dick is perfectly healthy,” Alfred said blandly.  


“His team thinks he’s half starved.”  


Alfred raised his eyebrow. “Perhaps if they knew he was 12 years old, they might worry less.”  


“Or worry more. He’s 4 years younger than Artemis and Wally.” Bruce sighed. “Can you check the household accounts and find out what Dick’s been using his credit card for?”  


“Is there a problem?”  


“Not exactly,” Bruce frowned. “I think he’s only been using it to pay for team expenses. He should be using it to buy things that he wants and needs.”  


“Master Dick has always been frugal.” Alfred’s gift of understatement made Bruce’s lips curl slightly.  


“Tell that to him team,” Bruce said pausing outside Dick’s room and listening to Clark’s voice. Clark was telling Dick about his last run in with Luthor. “Can you stay with him tonight? Make sure he doesn’t leave his room?”  


“Of course,” Alfred said smoothly.  


Bruce nodded his thanks and walked into Dick’s room.  


“…another robot and…. Bruce!” Clark smiled at his friend.  


Bruce glanced at him before turning to Dick. “How are you feeling?”  


“Much better.” Dick was sitting up with his pillows stacked up behind him. “Do you need me on the comm tonight?”  


“No,” Bruce walked into Dick’s huge walk in closet and looked at his shoes. He looked past the 6 pairs of expensive shoes Dick wore when he and Bruce went out in public together to the rather sad pair of scuffed black shoes that were neatly lined up at the end of the Dick’s shoe rack. Bruce picked them up. Sure enough they were worn thin and being held together by various layers of black duct tape. The duct tape was wrapped around the shoes so well that Bruce wouldn’t have noticed it from a distance. Bruce put the shoes back and looked through Dick’s clothes. He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t think the military precision with which Dick’s clothes hung was all Alfred. To be sure, Bruce’s closet wasn’t so compulsively neat.  


Bruce found Dick’s black jacket he wore when he was with the team and looked at it. It was covered with tiny, precise repairs. In the places where the material had worn thin, there were careful black stitches that reinforced the material. Bruce sighed.  


“Did you find what you needed?” Dick asked with an edge of humor when Bruce emerged from his closet.  


“Yes,” Bruce looked at Dick and couldn’t stop his smile as he looked at his ridiculous ward. “Rest tonight. Alfred is getting your dinner ready. You are not to leave your room tonight. I want you sleeping when I get back.”  


“I slept all day,” Dick complained.  


“You needed the rest,” Bruce said firmly.  


“How was the team meeting?”  


“Interesting. We have a lot to talk about.”  


“Can you give me a hint?” Dick asked tilting his head.  


“No. I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.”  


“I am not reassured,” Dick said ominously.  


Bruce turned to Clark. “Give me 15 minutes and I’ll be ready.”  


Clark nodded, his blue eyes amused.  


Bruce walked out of Dick’s room, then stuck his head back in. “Oh, and by the way, Dick. You’re grounded for life.” Clark’s laughter followed him.  
  
  


Clark sunk into the luxurious heated leather seat and sighed. He didn’t consider himself a materialistic person, but Bruce’s custom made Tesla even tempted him into rethinking his priorities. After the glittering pretension of the gala, Clark was glad of his time alone with Bruce. “How was the meeting with the team?” Clark asked.  


Bruce turned onto a winding road that Clark knew would add at least a half an hour to their trip home. “Dick’s team thinks he’s being shamefully neglected at home.”  


“Excuse me?” Clark asked staring at Bruce. In the dim light of the dash, Clark could see the traces of concern that were only partially hidden by amusement in Bruce’s handsome face.  


“Apparently when he snuck out yesterday to see them he implied his parents weren’t concerned he was injured. And he rations his food so carefully they think he doesn’t get regular meals.”  


Clark laughed in disbelief. “You’re kidding.”  


“I wish I was.” Bruce relaxed a little more, wrapping Clark’s presence around him. “They’re concerned he never spends money on himself. Alfred says he’s frugal. His friends think he’s impoverished. I wonder if Ollie ever had this problem.”  


“Roy has no trouble spending money on himself,” Clark chuckled. “He spent the equivalent of three months of my salary on shoes one afternoon when I had to interview him for that series of adopted children of billionaires.”  


Bruce glanced at him.  


“I didn’t mention it in the article. How could I? During my interview with Dick, he practically gave a dissertation on Gotham’s new recycling program. If I had written what Roy was doing during the interview he would have seemed shallow.”  


“Roy is shallow.” Bruce thought for a minute. “Is that the interview that led to Poison Ivy kidnapping Dick to make him her spokesperson?”  


“Unfortunately, yes. Resulting in your ban on interviews with him.”  


“Even without the interviews, Dick is insanely photogenic. He’s practically a siren to kidnappers. Puberty is going to be impossible.” Bruce took a breath. “Instead of buying new shoes when he wears holes in his, he repairs them with duct tape.”  


“Doesn’t Alfred…”  


“Alfred takes care of his uniforms and the clothes he wears when we go out in public. Dick insists on caring for the clothes he wears when he’s relaxing with the team.”  


Clark chewed on his bottom lip for a minute. “I thought his parents were fairly successful.”  


“They were. Even without the money I’ve put away for him, he has a very healthy trust fund from them.”  


“Then why is he so…”  


“Parsimonious? Cheap?” Bruce shrugged. “I have no idea. But his team mates think Batman should call social services on his parents and get him removed from their custody. I think a three way battle is brewing between Wally, Artemis, and Conner, M’Gann, and Kaldur’ahm on who he should stay with.”  


“You’re serious.”  


“Yep.”  


“What are you going to do?”  


“Aside from never letting him out the manor again? No idea.”  


“What does Alfred think?”  


Bruce drove in silence for a few minutes. “Alfred thinks I should let the team know how old his is.”  


Clark cringed. “Dick would hate that.”  


“I know. But it would help them understand why he’s so much smaller than they are.”  


“He pushes himself twice as hard as the rest of them so they’ll treat him as an equal. Telling them will undo all his work.”  


“It could also make them more aware of his safety. Kaldur’ahm routinely sends him ahead of the rest of the team without backup.”  


“I think he’s most recent injury would solve that concern. Just knowing how much they like him, I doubt they’re going to let him do anything even vaguely dangerous for the next few missions.”  


“I’m going to have him on the comm for a few weeks. At least until his ribs are healed.”  


“And the rest of their concerns?”  


“I was thinking of taking Friday off to go shopping with him.”  


“You hate shopping.”  


“I know.” Bruce glanced at Clark. “Want to come?”  


Clark laughed.  


“We could come by the Planet and pick you up for lunch. Make an afternoon of it. If we don’t over do it, he should be fine.”  


“Just to be clear,” Clark said grinning. “Your ward is probably the wealthiest 12 year old in Gotham, if not in North America, and you’re having a problem convincing him to spend a little money on himself.”  


“Yea,” Bruce smiled slightly. “He’s completely ridiculous.”  
  
  


“No, I really think Conner would like this,” Dick was saying cheerfully as he touched the soft black leather.  


Clark snorted and Bruce sighed. “Fine, get the jacket for Conner, but you have to buy one for yourself.”  


Dick flashed Bruce a bright smile. “Thank you!” Dick started walking to the counter, obviously ignoring Bruce’s edict to buy one for himself.  


“This is going well,” Clark laughed softly.  


Bruce shot him a look. So far they had purchased kitchen supplies for M’Gann, a couple of workout suits for Kaldur’ahm, a new phone for Wally, a few books for Alfred, and an ipad from Artemis. And this was after Bruce and Clark had talked Dick out of buying Diana a new writing set, Clark a new computer, and Victor a new set of components for his next upgrade. “Do you think it’s too late to make him spend some time with Roy?” Bruce asked.  


“Roy would just let Dick keep spending money on him,” Clark answered. “What’s next?”  


Bruce rubbing his face in his hands. “Shoes. We can’t return to the Manor without getting him a new pair of shoes. I told Alfred to throw his old ones out. He’ll be upset if he doesn’t have any to wear the next time he goes to Mount Justice.”  


“I asked them to send it to the Manor,” Dick grinned as he joined them again. “Hey, do you guys want to go see a movie?”  


“We need to get you some shoes,” Bruce led them out of the store and looked around for a shoe store.  


“My shoes are fine,” Dick already had his phone out, looking for movie times.  


“You need a new pair for when you’re with the team,” Bruce spied a store and started walking toward it.  


Clark put his hand on Dick’s shoulder and steered him in the direction of the store.  


Bruce looked at all the casual shoes in the high end shoe store and went to the newest, most expensive section and picked out a pair. “What do you think of these?” He asked.  


Dick looked up from his phone and walked over. He held the shoe and inspected it. “I think they’re a little flashy for you, B. I also don’t think they have enough of an arch support for your…”  


“They are for you,” Bruce interrupted him.  


Dick glanced from the shoe to the price on the display and put it back. “I’m good.”  


Clark chuckled.  


Bruce glared at him then turned to Dick. “We aren’t leaving here until you have a new pair of shoes.”  


“Since when does my footwear concern you?” Dick asked with a slightly confused expression.  


“Dick,” Bruce warned with an raise eyebrow.  


Dick blinked a few times, then slid his phone into his pocket. He looked around the store for a few seconds then made a bee line to the sale rack in back.  


“3 months salary on shoes in one afternoon,” Bruce said to Clark as they watched Dick quickly go through the clearance rack.  


“Yup,” Clark answered with a smile.  


Bruce sighed and walked over to his ward.  
  
  


“…and Jimmy ended up with wedding cake all down the front of his suit…” Clark was saying as they waited for their meals.  


Bruce frowned and pulled out his phone. He glanced at the number and held up his hand. “Do you mind if I take this?” He glanced at Dick and Clark.  


Dick shook his head.  


“Go ahead,” Clark said with a wave. When Bruce stepped away from their table Clark turned to Dick. “Why didn’t you let Bruce buy you that game console? I thought it was the ‘IT’ thing this season?”  


Dick shrugged, then winced slightly. “I don’t need it.”  


“We know you don’t need it, but it would have been okay if you let him know you wanted it. You should let him spoil you sometimes.”  


“I don’t want all that stuff,” Dick sipped his milkshake.  


“What do you want?” Clark asked curiously.  


Dick looked up at him, his lips curled in a sweet smile. “This.” He said motioning around.  


Clark looked around and frowned. “I don’t understand.”  


“You, me, and Bruce. Spending time together. It makes him happy.”  


Clark blinked. “What about you? What would make you happy?”  


“When he’s happy, I’m happy.” Dick said as though it was perfectly obvious.  


“But isn’t there something you want? Just for yourself?” Clark asked, a little taken aback by Dick’s answers.  


Dick flushed and looked around. He leaned forward slightly. “There is something, but you can’t tell him. Not yet.”  


“I promise I won’t tell him,” Clark said leaning in.  


“I want to be a big brother,” Dick pushed his milkshake out of the way. “Bruce is such a great dad. One day I hope he adopts more kids. I’ve always wanted to have brothers and sisters.” Dick’s face was radiant.  


Clark sat back in disbelief. “Brothers and sisters.”  


“Yea, the team’s like my family, but can you imagine how great it would be if the Manor was filled with kids? Okay, maybe not filled. I don’t want to have an army of brothers and sisters, but a few would be good. Maybe four or five. One day.” Dick sat back and reached for his milkshake. “Remember, you can’t tell him. You promised.”  


Clark nodded and caught sight of Bruce making his way back to the table. “I won’t say anything,” he said with a smile.  


Bruce exchanged an apologetic glance with Dick before sitting down. Dick’s answering grin was infectious. Clark sat back and felt a swell of affection for them.  


One day indeed.  



End file.
